Mountain Bike Eliminator: UCI World Cup kicks off this weekend

The 2018 UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup powered by CityMountainbike.com gets underway this weekend, June 3rd, in Columbus, in the US state of Georgia.

The mountain bike cross-country Eliminator (XCE) is a spectacular format of competition full of unexpected twists and suspense. In each round, four riders battle it out on a short and technical circuit, requiring them to produce an intense effort. This relatively new speciality was created to bring mountain bike to the heart of big cities, where a more urban public can discover the discipline.

XCE featured on the programme of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano from 2012 to 2014. Until 2016, it was also raced at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. In 2017, it was part of the inaugural UCI Urban Cycling World Championships alongside BMX Freestyle Park and trials. This first edition was held in Chengdu, China.

Launched in 2017, the UCI XCE World Cup will stop over this year in seven city centres in seven countries on three continents, drawing to a close in Brazil on November 24. The first round of the series will take place in the centre of Columbus on a circuit that has been reworked since last year. The cities of Graz (Austria) and Bangkok (Thailand) make their first appearance on the calendar this year.

Last season, the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup was won by Germany’s Simon Gegenheimer and Dutch rider Lizzy Witlox.

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June 3: Columbus (United States) June 16: Volterra (Italy) July 28: Graz (Austria) September 2: Apeldoorn (the Netherlands) September 16: Winterberg (Germany) September 23: Anvers (Belgium) October 28: Bangkok (Thailand) November 24: Brazil (venue to be confirmed).

Follow the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup on Facebook and Twitter.

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